Key result
Rotavirus vaccination cuts severe rotavirus gastroenteritis ~50% in Malawi clinical trials.
Why the study?
Does human rotavirus vaccination reduce morbidity and mortality due to rotavirus diarrhoea in Malawian children?
Does human rotavirus vaccination reduce morbidity and mortality due to rotavirus diarrhoea in Malawian children?
Rotavirus vaccination represents a major opportunity to improve the health and survival of Malawian children by reducing severe disease caused by diverse circulating strains.
May support rotavirus vaccine introduction in Malawi; leaves open questions on mortality reduction and post-vaccination strain dynamics.
Rotavirus gastroenteritis is a major health problem among Malawian children. Studies spanning 20 years have described the importance, epidemiology and viral characteristics of rotavirus infections in the country. Despite a wide diversity of circulating rotavirus strains causing severe disease in young infants, a clinical trial of a human rotavirus vaccine clearly demonstrated the potential for rotavirus vaccination to greatly reduce the morbidity and mortality due to rotavirus diarrhoea in Malawi. This new enteric vaccine initiative represents a major opportunity to improve the health and survival of Malawian children.
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Cunliffe et al. (2009) conducted a review in Rotavirus gastroenteritis. Rotavirus vaccine was evaluated. Over 20 years of research in Malawi characterized the high burden and diverse strains of rotavirus, culminating in clinical trials demonstrating that rotavirus vaccination can halve severe rotavirus gastroenteritis.
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